A Modicum of Sense
by CamlinSkitt
Summary: Imagine if wizards and witches had even a modicum of common sense? After the final downfall of Voldemort, the Wizarding World truly begins to change. Explore the changing world of magic and follow the story of four extraordinary young witches as they discover and leave their mark upon a new Hogwarts. OC Cast, Slice of Life.


_**Disclaimer: **__I am not J. K. Rowling. I claim no rights to the Harry Potter universe. I do not make money off this fic. I'm just here to have fun. Et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseam._

_**A/N:**__ Hello, and welcome to my first-ever fanfiction! Now, to be perfectly honest, I don't expect this fic to ever get more than 50-100 readers in its lifetime. Why? Well, I'm sure that starting out by listing the reasons it won't be popular isn't helping, but it's how I roll. __**First, apart from a few teachers and cameo appearances, this fic boasts an entirely OC cast.**__ I've never even heard of such a thing in the Harry Potter fandom before, so I assume it's not a popular choice._

_Second, I don't know how regular the updates will be. It depends on how motivated I feel, what else is occupying my time, and the fluctuating ratio of "good days" to "bad days" in my ongoing struggle with depression. This fic is something that I sometimes feel like doing on my good days._

_Third and finally, I do not exist on the social medias or any fan websites, so this site is my only platform for spreading the word. Perhaps my friends will help provide the publicity, but until then, I am impressed that you have somehow managed to stumble across this fic and have continued "listening" to me ramble for this long. If you've made it this far, you should definitely give me a chance!_

_I have just a couple more notes to make before we start. __**This story mostly takes place after the Battle of Hogwarts, but before the Epilogue.**__ The story is __**Slice of Life**__, so Action-seekers may want to look elsewhere. The main characters' first year at Hogwarts will begin in 2011, exactly two decades after Harry's first year. In my vague plans, __**it focuses on four girls, each sorted into a different house**__. We'll begin with one of the muggleborns, Isobel Dunn, because her Pre-Hogwarts story is the most fun. I will be using American-English spelling and punctuation because that's what I'm comfortable with, but I will try to use British word choice. Please feel free to help me Brit-pick in the reviews!_

_Finally, as you read this chapter, please remember that canon does not explicitly say that these events are not possible. _

_Without further ado, I now present:_

**A Modicum of Sense**

**Chapter One: Shifter**

_25 December 2004_

Christmas day began early in the Dunn household, as could only be expected when an almost-seven-year-old boy and a four and a half-year-old girl were in residence. The children unceremoniously jumped on their parents' bed until the adults were up and making breakfast. Their grandparents arrived, briefly distracting the eager pair. Then they squirmed undeterrably until the adults had finished their meal, at which point it was finally time to open presents. This endeavor was completed with all the paper-tearing haste the children could manage, despite many admonishments to try and savor each gift. That these rebukes fell on deaf ears was a source of amusement for the adults.

Eventually, all the presents seemed to have been distributed and unwrapped, and the fevered rush settled into eager appreciation of all the new treasures. Mrs. Dunn gathered the abandoned gifts of socks and sweaters to be washed and put away while more entertaining gifts were thoroughly investigated. However, unbeknownst to the children, a final present awaited them.

Mrs. Dunn returned to the family room bearing a strange box. Wrapped in shiny green paper, it looked frightfully heavy, and a plastic handle protruded from a cut-out on top of the box. This newest offering caught the boy's full attention right away, but the girl didn't look away from her new doll until she heard the noise. As Mrs. Dunn shifted her grip and accidentally jostled the box, the contents made a sound as if something inside was scrabbling against a hard, plastic wall. Now Mrs. Dunn had the undivided attention of both her children, and she smiled impishly at the pair.

"Father Christmas made an extra-special delivery this year," she explained as she gently placed the box on the floor, though she did not release her grip on the handle. "Are you two ready to see what he brought?"

"Yes!" Izzy and Eddie chorused, leaning forward eagerly for a good view.

Mrs. Dunn shared amused looks with her husband and his parents. The children squirmed impatiently, expecting to unwrap the gift once their mother let go of the handle. Instead, with a flair of showmanship, Mrs. Dunn used her grip on the handle to spin the present around. The front of the package was missing, revealing a—

"_Puppy!_" Izzy screamed in delight, lunging for the kennel that had been cleverly concealed by Mr. Dunn the previous night. The small creature whined at the loud noise and scooted further back into its kennel. Eddie, not to be outdone, scrambled forward after his sister, and the two children crowded the kennel, cooing and sticking their fingers through the metal bars to entice the puppy to come lick their hands. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn were immediately glad they had kenneled the poor thing, as the bars provided protection from their uncouth offspring.

"Stop that! Look, you're scaring him," Mrs. Dunn scolded, pulling the kennel away. Eddie seemed unremorseful, but Izzy now looked at her mother with wide eyes. "Both of you back up a few paces. Further than that, Eddie. Alright, now _stay there_. I'm going to open the kennel, and you're going to let the puppy come to you. Understand? Good."

When she judged her children to be ready, Mrs. Dunn bent forward and released the latch, opening the door of the kennel wide. Then she took a step back.

Eddie leaned forward, trying to get as close as he could without actually leaving his spot. "Here, puppy!" he called, his voice loud but encouraging. "Here, boy!"

Izzy scooted away from her brother and lay flat on her tummy, but not to get closer like her brother was doing. The watching adults were impressed with the instinctive motion—by positioning herself this way, she was making herself appear smaller and less threatening. Then she slowly reached out one hand, offering it to smell or lick. She wished with all her four-year-old might for the little dog to understand her and approach.

Slowly, reluctantly, the small creature poked its nose out of the kennel and sniffed its surroundings. It looked at Eddie, then at Izzy, and then all around the room, stepping out on just one paw to get a better look at its blind spots. Everyone watching could now see the dog's face and chest. Its coat was silky; its chest and the center of its face were white, while the ears and either side of the face were black, and a bit of brown could be seen around the eyes. And those eyes—they were round and large, warm and dark brown, like liquid chocolate. "A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel," Mr. Dunn identified somewhat needlessly.

Certain now that no one was about to lunge at him, the puppy emerged fully from its enclosure, still scenting all the interesting new smells around him. Eddie was still trying to call the puppy to him and had surreptitiously inched forward when his mother wasn't looking. Beside him, Izzy remained where she was, making what she hoped were soft and comforting sounds. The spaniel looked curiously between them. He met and held Izzy's gaze, and finally padded forward to sniff the proffered hand. This of course led to a jealous brother jumping forward to offer his own hand, but the dog seemed much more comfortable now, and deigned to give the boy's hand a sniff. His tail starting wagging, uncertainly at first, then with increasing buoyancy.

And then it happened.

Overjoyed with her new companion, wanting to play and bond with him, a swell of emotion rose up within Izzy and she changed.

Suddenly, there were two puppies greeting one another on the family room floor.

Eddie shouted in surprise, Mrs. Dunn let out a small screech of fright, and the rooms' other occupants gasped and looked on with loose jaws.

The puppies looked up at the noise with tilted heads, a question in their eyes. _Why the commotion?_

"_Bloody hell!_"

"Richard, language!" Mrs. Dunn said automatically to her father-in-law.

"What the _devil_ just happened?!" he half asked, half shouted, completely ignoring the rebuke.

"Lora, dear," Mr. Dunn interrupted in an oddly hoarse voice, "please tell me this is some silly magic trick you planned with the kids."

But Mrs. Dunn was already shaking her head, her eyes never leaving the little dog that might once have been her daughter.

"Mummy, Mummy, look!" Having more or less recovered, Eddie tugged at his mother's skirt and pointed enthusiastically at the girl-turned-puppy. "Izzy turned into a dog! This is _so cool!_ How did she do it, Mummy? D'you think I could turn into a dog, too? D'you think she'll turn human again? Or does she have to live as our pet forever and _ever?_" The boy seemed altogether too gleeful at this prospect. Mrs. Dunn simply looked increasingly distressed.

Mr. Dunn was now bent over double to peer into the empty kennel and check under the sofas for his missing girl. He of course failed to find her. Straightening, he glanced about the room for another likely hiding place, only to spot his mother. Grandma Dunn appeared ready to pass out, if her pallid complexion and unfocused gaze were any indication. Mr. Dunn rushed forward to help.

As this chaos played out, Izzy was momentarily left to her confusion. At first, she couldn't figure out why everyone was suddenly so panicked. It took several seconds for realization to slowly sink in. Her new body felt totally natural…until she went to move. Only then did she notice her strange new proportions. Had the joints of her legs always bent like that? Why couldn't she move her thumbs? And where had all these _smells_ come from? The thoughts raced wordlessly through her mind as she looked down and beheld—

Paws. Huh. No wonder she couldn't move her thumbs. She no longer had any. Strangely unperturbed by this discovery, Izzy set about examining her new shape. She soon wound up trotting around in circles as she tried to get a good look at her tail. From what she could see, she looked remarkably like the new puppy, who now trailed after her with his tail wagging. Izzy saw where he was trying to stick his snuffling nose and abruptly sat down. This seemed to bother the puppy not a whit, as he promptly proceeded to sniff around her feet.

Eddie approached his one-time sister now, holding his hand out to smell as if she were a real dog. When the girl-turned-puppy ignored this gesture, he gently scratched her under the chin. Her eyes closed in apparent delight, and Eddie smiled. He thought he rather preferred this Izzy to the original version.

Over the course of the next two hours, the Dunn family was forced to come to terms with several truths. First, there was no little girl to be found anywhere within the house. Second, the security system showed that no exterior doors had been opened since early that morning. Third, all the windows were shut and locked. That was when the family's last hope of denial all but vanished, and the panicked adults turned their attentions to the two puppies. One of these puppies appeared slightly older than the other, and definitely responded to the name "Izzy." She even seemed to answer simple yes-or-no questions by either nodding or shaking her head. This left the Dunns with only two possible conclusions. Either this was an elaborate hoax involving a highly-trained puppy (in which case no one had yet come forward to claim credit), or Isobel Dunn had turned into a dog.

It was Grandma Dunn who finally solved the mystery, once she had recovered from the shock. She simply waved a Christmas biscuit before the pup, just out of reach. "Only human girls get to eat human food," she enticed. Sure enough, the puppy soon turned back into her granddaughter, and the smiling four-year-old was able to claim her biscuit.

* * *

This was not the last time Izzy transformed. Within the next week she accidentally became a puppy on three more occasions, and the week after that, she became a pigeon. Apparently, shifting into various animal forms was a talent of Izzy's, a fact which terrified the Dunns. They had never heard of such a thing before, except within the realm of fiction, so they had no explanation for the strange events, and no way of knowing if their daughter was safe. And who could they turn to? They could hardly bring this problem to a doctor, after all. Either Izzy would not be able to transform, leading the doctor to pronounce the family insane, or Izzy _would_ transform, and what would happen then? Would their daughter be taken from them? Would she be poked, prodded, and studied like some lab animal? Would Mr. and Mrs. Dunn still be able to protect their daughter?

In the end, there was nothing to be done but wait, and watch.

Izzy herself was kept blissfully unaware of the anxiety her transformations were causing. To her, this new ability was a grand adventure; she loved to romp and play with the newly-christened Biscuit in his own form. Her shifts continued to occur accidentally in moments of excitement, but after that first transformation, Izzy found that she could turn human again at will. As her brother helpfully pointed out, if Izzy could control her ability to become human again, then she should also be able to control her animal shifts. Sadly, this turned out to be much more difficult. Sometimes, if she focused on a creature long and hard enough, she would shift into the animal's shape without realizing it, as she did with the pigeon strutting outside their window. And often, if she got particularly upset or excited, she'd change without meaning to.

Her control over the shifts increased gradually as the months and then the years passed by. This relieved her parents, who hadn't been sure if she ought to attend school and risk revealing her ability. By the time Izzy was seven, Mr. and Mrs. Dunn hardly thought twice before signing Izzy's permission slip to go to the zoo with her class, though Mr. Dunn took the day off work to volunteer as a chaperone, just in case.

The zoo was quite packed for a weekday. In addition to all of Izzy's year-mates, children from three other primary schools were present. Each school had a different, brightly-colored T-shirt, making it easier for chaperones to take a headcount without confusing their students with those from the other schools.

Though it was not her first time at the zoo, Izzy was thrilled to see the variety of animals. She secretly kept a mental list of which forms she'd most like to try—all the big zoo cats, the monkeys, the hawks and eagles, a fox, a snake, a bat…and what would it feel like to be a giraffe?! Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly try giraffe form in her backyard. With a sigh, she gazed at a tortoise, wondering if it was what her teacher called a "vertebrate." She hadn't yet been able to transform into anything that didn't have a spine, though she hoped that if she kept trying, she could turn into a butterfly or a starfish one day.

Her group's next stop was the dark little building where they kept the insects and reptiles. Izzy shivered as she passed a tarantula exhibit; butterflies were one thing, but she'd decided on her last visit to the zoo that she didn't care for any insect that preferred nighttime to daytime. The girl's eyes fixed on a centipede, and she found herself frozen to the spot, her heart beat speeding up and the hairs on the back of her neck rising in an unfortunate crawling sensation. She wanted to look away, but some unreasonable part of her was afraid that if she did, the centipede would escape its enclosure and crawl up her leg.

"_Boo!_" came a voice from behind, and Izzy felt something poking into her shoulders. She shrieked, and before she could register that her friend, Hannah, was the perpetrator, Izzy instinctively shifted.

Everyone who had spun to look at the little girl's shriek was treated to the sight of said girl morphing into a young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Izzy's most familiar animal form.

There were gasps and shouts all around as the young dog took a defensive stance and tried to assess the situation. Mr. Dunn came running towards his daughter, his face ashen, while Hannah took two steps back and tripped, landing on her backside and staring at the dog.

Suddenly realizing what she'd done, Izzy turned human again to try and correct the situation. Only then did she realize that this was the _worst_ possible thing she could have done. Many in the crowd who had doubted their eyes the first time were now sure of what they'd seen, and the reptile/insect house was turning into a cacophony of shouts, cries, and exclamations. Mr. Dunn finally reached his daughter through the crowd, but what to do next? Seeing Izzy's wide eyes and trembling lower lip, the man simply knelt to fold his daughter into a tight hug. Izzy hugged back, and the two ignored the commotion going on around them for some time.

Father and daughter were brought back to their surroundings by several loud _cracks_ from outside the darkened building. Those closest to the exits went to investigate the noise, only to slowly stop and freeze, still staring blankly forward. The freezing seemed contagious, as those next to the frozen people froze in turn, on and on, all the way up to the spot where Izzy and Mr. Dunn looked on. "What the hell…?" Mr. Dunn murmured, pulling his daughter closer again and searching for any source of danger.

More people were entering the building now, about six of them, weaving between all the frozen bodies. These newcomers were dressed _very_ oddly, wearing _robes_ of all things, and each carried a thin wooden stick in one hand. They paused when they saw the girl and her father, and one man stepped forward to address them.

"Good day, sir, miss," he intoned, sounding almost bored. "My associates and I are acting upon a report of a probable outburst of Accidental Magic at this location, a young girl turning into a dog and back. I take it this is the girl in question?" The man eyed Izzy, and she burrowed deeper into her father's hold.

Mr. Dunn hadn't understood a word in five, but he deeply disliked the situation he now found himself in. He opened and closed his mouth several times as he decided what to say first. "What have you done to these people?" he finally asked.

"Ah, nothing to worry about," the man said, waving the matter aside. "Simply a temporary freezing charm, to make sure the muggles don't go anywhere before they can have their memories altered. Now, if you could come with me while the rest of my team begins…?" he gestured towards one of the exits, indicating that Mr. Dunn should precede him.

However, Mr. Dunn wasn't ready to move yet. He took another moment to decide his next words. "You said magic. Is it magic, then? What my daughter can do?"

The man grimaced and let out a sigh. "A muggleborn, then. So much added paperwork. Ah, well. Yes, it is magic, and I'm here representing the Ministry for Magic. Please come with me, and I'll explain in further detail. I promise that I only wish to help you and your daughter."

After a lengthy hesitation, Mr. Dunn finally agreed, and the ministry man led them out of the building. As they left, the other robed men and women began to mutter something that sounded like "_Obliviate,_" and little flashes of light came from the ends of their sticks. No, not sticks—_wands_. Izzy watched on in amazement and fear. Amazement, because these people seemed to actually know what was going on with her. Fear, because she'd just broken the most important rule in her life and transformed in front of people. She held on tightly to her father's hand, and his secure grasp on her own hand soothed her.

Once outside, the robed man convinced Mr. Dunn to take hold of his arm, and the man side-along apparated Izzy and her father to the Ministry. They arrived in a small room, comfortably furnished with a table and chairs. The ministry worker took a seat on one side of the table and gestured for his guests to take seats on the other side. Actually, he had to gesture multiple times, as Izzy and her father were momentarily left reeling from their first apparation.

"To start, my name is Wallace Hughes, and I am head of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. Might I please get your names?" The man was poised to write down this information with a quill and parchment, of all things.

"Er…I'm Nathaniel Dunn, and this is my daughter, Isobel Dunn," Izzy's father answered as they took their seats.

Rather than writing this information down, Mr. Hughes let go of the quill, and the quill wrote the names down _all by itself!_ Izzy gaped and her father's eyes widened as the man continued. "And in order to determine who else in your family is cleared to know this information, I need to know if you have a wife?"

"Yes, Lora."

"And is Mrs. Dunn Isobel's biological parent?"

"Yes, she is," Mr. Dunn answered, starting to look offended at this line of questioning.

"I apologize if I seem rather nosy, but I promise this is all important," Mr. Hughes said reassuringly. "Does anyone else have legal guardianship over your daughter?"

"No."

"Excellent! Now, according to Section Two of the Statute of Secrecy, you, your wife, and any legal dependents in your care are authorized to know about magic. If you wish for any extended family to know, you must file for permission. No one else is to know about magic, and if there are any further incidents that put this knowledge at risk, you may call this number." As he said this, the man took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Dunn. "We've recently set up a Muggleborn Support line in case of any further accidental magic. If any magic gets out of hand or anyone requires a memory charm, please call us immediately."

"I suppose this is helpful," Mr. Dunn said, "but I still don't understand what's going on here. Maybe you could tell me a bit more about that before we continue?"

"Right, of course!" was Mr. Hughes's cheery reply. "Basically, I'm a wizard, and your daughter is a witch. This means we can do magic, unlike muggles, or non-magical folk, such as yourself. We call witches and wizards born to two muggle parents 'muggleborns.' People like your daughter are rare, making up only about ten percent of magical folk. Magic is a bit like your muggle science; if you understand the principles, it allows you to accomplish things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do. For example…" Mr. Hughes pulled out his wand, and with a swish and a flick, murmured "_Wingardium Leviosa._" His quill promptly rose from the parchment and did a slow twirl in the air.

Her fear and her father's tension had kept Izzy quiet until now, but at the sight of the floating feather, she couldn't keep a soft "_Wow!_" from escaping her lips. If she understood correctly, this stranger was telling them that _Izzy_ could do all of this, too! "Can you change into animals, too, sir?" she asked before she could help herself.

The man smiled warmly at the eager seven-year-old girl before him. "I can, but not easily. Transforming into an animal requires very specific and complicated spells, unless you become an animagus. But animagi are very rare, as it generally takes years of training. I'm very impressed that you managed a transformation, even accidentally. You were even able to turn yourself back without any help. Most impressive."

The girl blinked at him a few times, then turned to look beseechingly at her father.

"Actually, my daughter has been intentionally transforming into various animals for two years, now," Mr. Dunn explained. He was privately pleased that Mr. Hughes was the one to go slack-jawed this time.

"She…she's been…transforming into _various_ animals _on purpose?_" Mr. Hughes repeated dumbly.

Izzy squirmed, unsure if this was a good or bad response.

"Yes," Mr. Dunn answered succinctly. "It's had my wife and I worried sick, not knowing how or why our daughter could shift forms. I hope there aren't any adverse side-effects?" he asked, tamping down on his apprehension.

"Oh…oh, I'm sure she's fine. We can have her looked over at St. Mungo's Hospital, if you're worried, but so long as she's turning human correctly, I can't see how the transformations could pose a problem. It's just…well, like I said, it's supposed to be very difficult to transform. I've never heard of someone so young…I mean, I'll need to look into this further, see if there are any precedents…." He trailed off, his gaze unfocused, and didn't speak again for several seconds. Just when Mr. Dunn was about to say something, Mr. Hughes seemed to wake up from his shock, shaking his head and focusing. "Regardless, this isn't the purpose of today's visit. Perhaps a future visit, but today is about introducing you to wizarding society." He reset the quill on the parchment and seemed back to business. "To be perfectly honest, you'll have little interaction with the wizarding world until Miss Dunn turns eleven. Then, when she would normally begin secondary school, we ask that she instead attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's the premier school for magic in the British Isles, and one of the top three in all of Europe. It is also a boarding school, located in the Scottish Highlands, but transportation to and from London is provided."

Mr. Dunn sat back in his seat, contemplating the implications of sending his daughter to a magical boarding school. "I don't suppose my wife and I can take a tour of this school before deciding whether we want to send our daughter there?" he finally responded. "Not right now, of course. She's still only seven. But in a few years…?"

This request left Mr. Hughes blinking repeatedly at the man across the table. "Er…well, unfortunately, muggles can't actually…er…_see_ Hogwarts. For protection and secrecy, you know. I suppose…I would have to ask to see if there's a way around that," he said apologetically.

"Please do. There is no way I plan to send my daughter to a school I have never seen or even heard of before today," was Mr. Dunn's firm reply.

"Of-of course. That seems…sensible," Mr. Hughes muttered.

"In the meantime, if I have any additional questions, should I call this number?" Izzy's father asked, lifting the business card. "Or is this for emergencies only?"

"Er, emergencies only, please. Any non-immediate questions you have can be sent to us via the post. You can simply address it to the Ministry for Magic, and it will get to us with no eyebrows raised."

"Excellent. And is there any literature I should have, to show to my wife when she gets home this evening? Brochures, books, websites?"

"Ah. Well, I do not have anything on hand, but I can give you instructions on where to acquire any books you might want…."

* * *

"And remind me, what is this place we're supposed to look for?" Mrs. Dunn asked her husband with some skepticism.

"The Leaky Cauldron," he answered his wife, double-checking the piece of parchment in his hand. "And supposedly, only Izzy can see it. Are you looking closely, Izzy?"

"Mm-hmm," came Izzy's answer as the little girl skipped between her parents. Her brother, Eddie, followed behind more sedately. "Oh, I think I found it!" She pointed excitedly at the faded sign swinging between two mundane storefronts. The three non-magical members of the family looked at where Izzy pointed, then back at Izzy, and then at one another, confused.

"I don't see anything," Eddie admitted first.

"It's right there! C'mon!" Izzy grabbed her mother's and brother's hands and pulled them forward towards the shabby building.

Three paces away from the door, Izzy's mother began protesting that she had a dentist appointment she'd forgotten about, and Eddie complained that there was a program he wanted to see on the telly, but Izzy just gripped their hands tighter and pulled them through the door (which thankfully was ajar and could be pushed open with Izzy's foot). "Oh, there it is," Eddie remarked dryly once he'd made it through the door. The girl then left her brother and mother blinking in the darkened room while she collected her father, who tried to tell Izzy he had to go into work today for a special meeting.

Once her family was finally gathered, Izzy took a better look at her new surroundings. The Leaky Cauldron was dimly lit, slightly cramped, and well-worn, but it was also clean and had an authentic Old English feel to it. The air even smelled of oil lamps, pipe smoke, wood polish, and a hint of spilled ale, as if they'd stepped into a somewhat cleaner version of the eighteenth century. Nearly every table was occupied with the lunchtime rush; only the customers themselves seemed out of place here. Many wore cloaks, pointed hats, and glorified bathrobes, while those few who wore normal clothing looked like a cross between a frumpy grandmother and a toddler just learning to dress himself. Nobody gave the Dunns a second glance, the steady chatter never wavering at the newcomers' appearance. To Izzy, the strangeness felt exciting, like walking into a theme park. Here was a whole new world to explore!

To Izzy's parents, the picture before them was intimidating. This was no theme park, but a portal to another culture, one which might not be welcoming to the Dunns. They pulled their children closer and looked about for some indication of what to do next.

"Welcome!" A cheerful-looking woman had spotted them from behind the bar and waved them forward. "Come on over; I promise not to bite." Izzy grinned at this—she could and would bite back if anyone bit her first. She skipped forward, pulling Eddie along as Mr. and Mrs. Dunn followed more cautiously behind.

"Hullo! I'm Izzy, and this is my brother, Eddie. We're here for the book store!" Izzy proudly announced.

For some reason, the woman chuckled at Izzy's statement. "It's nice to meet you, Izzy. I'm Hannah, and this is my pub."

"Really? My best friend is named Hannah!" Excited by even this small connection, Izzy beamed and turned to share the moment with her family. Eddie was quieter than usual, looking about curiously at the pub's patrons, while her mum and dad seemed a little less tense after Hannah's friendly greeting.

"I'm Nathaniel Dunn, and this is my wife, Lora. You've just met my children," Mr. Dunn said wryly, extending a hand.

"A pleasure," Hannah answered, shaking Mr. Dunn's hand. "Now, are you here for my fine establishment, or are you looking for access to the Alley?"

"The alley, please, if you wouldn't mind showing us the way. We're just here to look around and purchase some books."

"I'll be happy to show you! But before I do…." Hannah hesitated, eyeing the Dunns' muggle clothing. "I suppose you only have muggle money on you?"

Mr. Dunn's eyes widened tellingly, and he exchanged a worried glance with his wife.

"You mean to say that you use a different currency?" Mrs. Dunn asked.

Offering a sympathetic smile, Hannah proceeded to explain galleons, sickles, and knuts to the mystified muggles. She even went so far as to exchange some of their money for them, and provided directions to Gringotts if they needed any more. Finally, she led the family out back, where she showed them how to access Diagon Alley.

With a sound of scraping bricks, the apparently solid wall before them steadily rearranged itself into a grand archway, revealing an idyllic London street from a long-gone century—all cobblestone pavers and gas lamps and half-timber buildings—though the people bustling about in robes gave tell to the truth, as did the faint hum of traffic that could just be heard over the din of the crowded thoroughfare. Here, in the middle of modern-day London, was a hidden refuge of magical trade.

Izzy looked about with wide eyes, trying and failing to take in all the incredible sights, sounds, and smells all at once. It was all she could do not to tear her hand from her mother's grasp and run ahead, the better to see all the incredible sights. And what a strange collection of sights! The shop directly ahead of them claimed the sole purpose of selling cauldrons—not cooking utensils in general, mind, but specifically cauldrons, if the haphazard stacks of wares outside the shop were any indication. And was it her imagination, or did she hear the calls of owls coming from further down the cobblestone lane?

Nope, the owl calls were definitely not her imagination, Izzy discovered as the Dunns passed an old-timey looking ice cream parlor. Just ahead was another shop dedicated to the sale of owls, from which wafted the strong smell of animal musk and droppings. And directly across from Eeylop's Owl Emporium was Quality Quidditch Supplies, which Izzy soon realized offered _actual FLYING BROOMS!_ She never would have expected that bit to be real! Would she get the chance to try one when she went to Hogwarts? She could only hope.

All too soon, the Dunns reached their destination: Flourish & Blott's, the bookstore. It seemed highly mundane after the other stores they'd passed. Even so, there was magic in the air. The stacks were arranged in an orderly disarray that was quite charming (if slightly cramped) and as the family of four entered, a flock of books literally flew past and shelved themselves neatly in a section labeled "Household Charms."

"_Wow,_" Izzy sighed, finally regaining her voice after the shock of the alley behind them. "I _love_ magic!"

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, "but can we go back to the store with the brooms? Magic or no, books are just books, which means _bo-ring_."

Books weren't exactly Izzy's favorite thing either, and flying brooms _did_ seem rather brilliant, but all the same….

"Look, Eddie! The picture on that cover is _moving! _All of them are moving!" Reading a picture book must be rather like watching a movie with subtitles, Izzy thought dazedly.

Mr. and Mrs. Dunn shared an amused glance. "Why don't I help each of you find a new storybook while your father finds some reference materials, and then we'll go get a better look at the rest of the alley. How's that?" Mrs. Dunn offered, and the two children readily agreed

They walked away from the store with four new books: _So Your Child's Got Magic?_, _An Introduction to Wizarding Society in the United Kingdom_, _The Adventures of Young Merlin_, and _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. Purchasing the books had used up all their galleons, so the next stop was to be Gringotts.

Perhaps they should have gone home and read their books before venturing further into the alley, for none of the Dunns were prepared for the sight of goblins.

Still a short distance from the white stone building, the family of four drew to a hesitant stop. The uniformed creature guarding the door to the bank was humanoid in that it had four limbs and stood upright, but the proportions were off; the creature's build was stout and its fingers, nose, and ears too long. Its skin was a swarthy, green-tinted shade, the texture leathery like someone with too much sun exposure throughout their life. The creature's eyes were beady and black, and when it noticed the hesitant muggles, it grinned unpleasantly, revealing pointed teeth.

"Mum?" Eddie whined softly, tugging on Mrs. Dunn's blouse, "I don't think I wanna go to the bank. Can…can we go home?"

The others were inclined to agree with the boy.

Fortunately, the goblin wasn't the only one to notice the obviously muggle family standing still amid the bustling thoroughfare.

"G'afternoon Sir, Ma'am," a booming (but jovial) voice said from behind. All four of the Dunns startled and spun on the spot to face the newcomer. Before them stood a giant of a man, nearly twice as tall as the average man and perhaps thrice as wide. He boasted wild black hair and a bushy beard, both streaked liberally with gray. What should have been a thoroughly off-putting presence was somewhat improved by his huge smile and friendly manner. "Firs' time in Diagon Alley, I s'pose? I'm Rubeus Hagrid, professor at Hogwarts." He extended a beefy hand, which swallowed Mr. Dunn's own hand completely when they shook. Mr. Dunn discreetly rubbed his wrist when it was freed from the giant's grasp.

"Nathaniel Dunn," Mr. Dunn managed to say in an almost conversational tone of voice—he still wasn't quite over his shock, but hid it well. "This is my wife, Lora, and my children, Edwin and Isobel. Is it that obvious?"

Hagrid chuckled. "Aye, just a bit. Yeh look like yeh've never seen a goblin afore. Telltale sign Hogwarts is gonna have a new muggleborn on its hands soon."

"Goblin?" Mrs. Dunn repeated breathlessly, glancing back at the creature guarding the entrance to Gringotts. "But aren't goblins supposed to be…well, evil? Or at least violent?"

"Evil? Nah, they're more complicated than that, just like mos' people. Violent? Only if yeh get on their bad side. Jus' be polite, an' yeh've got nothin' to worry about. Now, I've got some errands to run, but hopefully I'll be seein' at least one of yeh at Hogwarts soon, eh?" he said, winking at the two children.

"Goodbye, Professor Hagrid," Izzy bravely called out after the man, who waved cheerily back at her before he disappeared around a bend in the street.

The adult Dunns, eased not at all by the man's advice, quietly deliberated on whether they should approach the bank.

"We're going to have to do it sometime," Izzy broke in reasonably after watching several patrons enter and exit the imposing building. _They_ didn't seem scared at all, so why should she be scared?

So they trooped past the goblin, who sneered at them but did not seem inclined towards violence. There was another set of doors, and then they were in the main hall of the bank, a stately affair made up of impressive marble and antique fittings. A long counter was staffed by goblin tellers, who seemed unanimously grumpy and irritable. They weighed jewels and counted out gold coins, wrote in ledgers and examined documents. In its own way, it was as wondrous as the other features of the Alley they'd seen so far.

The Dunns quickly made for an open teller and, remembering to be polite, asked to exchange their money.

The goblin eyed them silently for a moment, his expression difficult to read. Finally, he said, "Very well, Sir. However, might I suggest opening a vault instead?"

"Er—a vault?"

"An account, if you will," the goblin explained with a negligent wave of his sharp-nailed hand. "It will provide more convenient access to funds. We can make withdrawals from your muggle bank account, which we will then convert to galleons, allowing you to access the funds via a Gringotts charge coin."

In the past few years, the goblins of Gringotts had come to several realizations. First, Gringotts already had a monopoly on the banking industry in wizarding England. There simply was no other place to store one's wealth, except one's own home. Second, wizarding England was a very insular market. With no competitors to steal customers from, there was hardly any new custom to be found anywhere. This fact, of course, did not help increase revenue. Third, the only source of new custom to be found were newcomers to the wizarding world: muggleborns. And once goblins realized that muggleborns and their families were an untapped market, Gringotts began making changes to entice the muggleborns.

The first step was to suggest opening a vault when exchanging muggle currency for galleons. Of course, this did not work well in the beginning. It turned out that muggles were uninterested in paying to have good money sit in a vault and not even accumulate interest. So the goblins had to create a _reason_ for muggles to store their money in a vault that did not accrue interest.

That reason became convenience. Imagine if one did not need to carry their gold around with them to use it. The muggles apparently had such a system, a system which was much more appealing to the goblins than the thought of paying people to store their money in Gringotts. So the goblins researched this system, and invented the Gringotts charge coin.

The charge coin became an instant hit with muggleborns and half-bloods, and even some pureblood families saw the usefulness. A vault number was embossed on the coin, along with the vault-holder's name. This information could be imprinted upon a sales receipt in much the same way one might make a rubbing of a leaf. The sales receipt could then be magically submitted to Gringotts, where the funds would be automatically transferred from customer to merchant. There was, obviously, a bit more to it than that—funds had to be verified, and many complex spells backed the system—but in essence, wizards now had debit cards. For a small fee, of course.

After much deliberation, and much boredom on the part of the children, the Dunns eventually decided it was worthwhile to open a small vault and transfer a few hundred pounds. They were then issued their new charge coins, one for each parent, which they were told would work at nearly every store in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Their business at Gringotts concluded, they agreed to return to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

* * *

Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron was a pleasant affair. As she bustled about taking care of customers, Hannah Abbott, the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron who had kindly exchanged their money earlier, managed to tell the Dunns the story of how she came to buy the pub from its previous owner, a wizard named Tom. She then told them about her husband, Neville Longbottom, who would be Izzy's Herbology professor when she started Hogwarts. The witch's ability to multitask was both astonishing and entertaining, and the Dunns appreciated the simple glimpse into the wizarding world. In some ways, at least, it was not so different from the muggle one.

After lunch, the family wandered the alley some more, poking in and out of random shops and admiring the wares for sale. One shop in particular stood out among the others. Its window displays were full of dazzling products that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced and even shrieked, apparently designed to catch attention and cause instant dizziness. The store was called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and it was by far the most exciting place the family visited that day, even when compared to Quality Quidditch Supplies or The Magical Menagerie.

Izzy and Eddie had never seen a joke shop before (largely by their parents' design) and found themselves amazed at the products for sale within. Granted, this store was like no joke shop that had come before it, magical or muggle. In addition to pranks aplenty, the proprietors had dabbled in plenty of other areas. Toys and games, beauty products and daydreams, tiny creatures called pygmy puffs, even a few defensive products that seemed especially out of place. It was everything a school-aged child could want, with plenty thrown in for adults as well.

It was hard to curb the children's appetite for mischief after seeing some of the merchandise for sale, but eventually Mr. and Mrs. Dunn managed to usher Izzy and Eddie out with just a few Hiccough Sweets apiece. Hiccoughs would be relatively innocuous, even in the muggle world, or so the parents hoped.

Their last purchase of the day was a magical trunk. They paid the shopkeeper to spell the trunk so it could only be opened by Izzy's direct family. That way, the Dunns could hide any suspicious magical items they collected within the trunk, away from unknowing muggle eyes.

When the Dunns had returned home, the books they'd bought in Diagon Alley turned out to be quite enlightening, especially _An Introduction to Wizarding Society_ by Hermione J. Granger-Weasley. Written by a muggleborn for muggleborns and their families, it outlined the basic cultural differences between muggle and wizarding society and explained the historical reasons for these differences. It was quite informative—almost _too_ informative in some places. The author certainly liked to dot her I's and cross her T's. Still, it explained a lot, even it did nothing to assuage the Dunns' concerns about goblins.

Izzy and her parents did not return to Diagon Alley for some time. Frankly, apart from Izzy's ability to transform, the world of magic seemed like a distant dream with little bearing on day-to-day life. Of course, that all changed in the Summer of 2011, when one morning an owl swooped up to the Dunns' front door and dropped a letter in the mail slot.

* * *

_**A/N: **__There you have it! Hopefully those of you who stuck with it liked it. Fun fact: charge coins are a real predecessor of credit cards. If you choose to review, please remember this is my first fic and be nice. Polite criticism is welcome and encouraged. I'm largely winging the plot, so suggestions for future content are also welcome. We'll be meeting our next main character in the next chapter. And as I had a rather large A/N at the beginning, I should probably stop this one here. Thank you all!_


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